Never afraid to pull a surprise, Mayo was right on with his prediction that USC would face Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

It’s an intriguing first-round game for the Trojans (21-11) and the Wildcats (20-11). Not only will the pregame hype center on freshman phenoms Mayo and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, but Mayo’s closest friend, Bill Walker, is also a star for the Wildcats.

Mayo spoke with Walker before Sunday’s selection was made, then they spoke again after the matchup was announced.

“Yeah, I called that,” Mayo said. “I felt like they lost pretty early in their conference tournament and Omaha seemed like a good place for us to play our and fans could make the travel. At the same time, it’s pretty much all about money. I just think we could draw a pretty good crowd at Omaha and I think Kansas State could too.”

Mayo was with his friends and a small gathering of fans at the Galen Center. Mayo was quickly on the phone after learning the Trojans had picked up a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Regional.

“Yeah, I called Bill. He was just happy that they made it,” Mayo said. “He was scared they weren’t going to make it, and he was happy to get an opportunity to play against us and I get to play against him. We were childhood friends, I’ve known him since I was three-years-old so it’s pretty fun. He’s my best friend in the world.”

But it’s going to Beasley who truly draws the attention. The 6-foot-9 left-handed forward is being projected by many as the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. He averages 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.

“He’s a versatile player, an extremely good rebounder,” USC forward Taj Gibson said. “He has an all-around game and he’s fearless. I’ve watched him all through the season and he’s got a lot of heart.”

Mayo, another potential NBA lottery pick, is averaging 20.8 points in his first collegiate season.

“Well, that’s one for the media,” USC coach Tim Floyd said of the freshman foes. “That’s not about team and that’s not about us, and so that’s one I’m sure the media will have fun with.

“We know Beasley’s a great player, but they have more than him. Bill Walker’s an outstanding player.”

The Trojans have firsthand knowledge of the Wildcats. The teams met in a tournament in Las Vegas last season with K-State scoring a 68-55 victory. Walker scored 19 points in that game, but tore a knee ligament a couple of weeks later.

The teams played on the same night in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 4, when the Trojnas faced Memphis and Kansas State met Notre Dame in the Jimmy V Classic.

“We had a chance to watch them back in New York and I was impressed with their talent,” Floyd said. “They were a young team then with the addition of Walker, who was coming off an injury, and Beasley, who is just extremely impressive with his ability.”

Kansas State went 10-6 in the Big 12 Conference before falling, 63-60, to Texas A&M in the first round of the conference tournament.

USC went 11-7 in the Pacific-10 before losing to UCLA in the conference tournament semifinals.

USC’s challenge doesn’t seem too different from the one it faced in the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, when guard Daniel Hackett stuck to freshman Kevin Durant in a victory over Texas. Durant, of course, went on to become the No. 2 pick in the draft.

“I’m sure we’ll come up with something,” Hackett said.

“Obviously, you’ve got to try to limit a guy that scores 30 a night. One thing I said was `Don’t look past Bill Walker,’ because he’s going to be fired up to play his old buddy O.J. and against us.”

The teams have three common opponents this season. Kansas State lost to Oregon (USC beat the Ducks twice), defeated Oklahoma (as did USC) and split with Kansas (USC lost to the Jayhawks by four points).

The winner of the USC-Kansas State game will face the winner of third-seeded Wisconsin and No. 14 seed Cal State Fullerton.

Floyd obviously hadn’t looked that far ahead.

“All I know is we couldn’t beat Fullerton in a scrimmage early in the year,” he said.

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